Miami Developer Sergio Pino Allegedly Tried to Have Wife Killed, Then Died by Suicide

On June 23, a young Florida woman frantically called 911 and said somebody had just pointed a gun at her and her mother.

She told the operator that her mother, Tatiana Pino, was just pulling up in the driveway of Tatiana’s Pinecrest, Fla., home when the man allegedly brandished a gun at her, according to a transcript of the 911 call shared by NBC 6.

Tatiana escaped by driving her car into the backyard and honking to get her daughter’s attention, the Miami Herald reported, citing FBI charging documents. The man then allegedly pointed a gun at the daughter when she came out, but did not shoot, and the harrowing incident ended without anyone being harmed.

It wasn’t the first time Tatiana faced an attack on her life, federal authorities say. The estranged wife of Miami real-estate mogul Sergio Pino had allegedly been subjected to repeated attempts of stalking and poisoning by several suspects who, according to federal authorities, were hired by Sergio to kill her, according to indictments against the suspects, which were reviewed by PEOPLE.

Sergio is not named in the indictments, which identify him only as “Co-conspirator 1.” However, the Miami Herald, NBC 6 and the Tampa Bay Times, citing authorities, identified him as the man in the indictments who was allegedly conspiring to murder his wife.

Less than a month after the June 23 incident, Sergio was found dead by suicide in his home, the FBI said in a statement at the time. The statement confirmed Sergio was being investigated in an alleged murder-for-hire plot.

Sergio and Tatiana had been married for more than 30 years before she filed for divorce in April 2022 after she suspected Sergio had poisoned her, per the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.

A July indictment accuses several people of orchestrating a “stalking and attempted murder campaign” against Tatiana, involving arson, poisonings and an automobile crash, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Florida said in a statement.

Bayron Bennett, 33; Jerren Keith Howard 38; Fausto Villar, 42; Avery Bivins, 36; Clementa Johnson, 47; Vernon Green, 53; Diori Barnard, 47; Michael Jose Dulfo, 42; and Edner Etienne 27, were all charged in connection with the case, per the announcement. 

Bennett, Dulfo, Etienne and Howard were charged with stalking and arson among other offenses. On one occasion in August 2023, the indictment alleges, Etienne crashed a vehicle into Tatiana’s car while she was inside. 

In a separate indictment reviewed by PEOPLE, Miami authorities allege a “second crew,” made up of the rest of the defendants also carried out similar criminal acts. The suspects allegedly entered Tatiana’s property “masked and without consent, and menacing others on her property by pointing a gun at their head,” the indictment alleges.

The group was also allegedly directed by Sergio to inject Tatiana with “a provided liquid substance to make her death appear to be a heart attack,” per the indictment.

South Florida developer Sergio Pino dead amid FBI investigation, attorney says

Prior to his death, Sergio had denied his involvement in the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy.

On the day before his suicide, his behavior indicated he was trying to sort out his financial affairs, per court records cited by the Miami Herald.

According to depositions from his long-time girlfriend, his lawyer and his brother, Sergio was paying up his bills, reassigning authority for several of his projects and amending the list of trustees for one of his trusts, the outlet reported.

In a will written on March 11, Sergio had stated he wanted his brother Carlos to manage his estate for the benefit of Sergio’s four children, NBC 6 reported, citing a court hearing on Aug. 9.

However, Tatiana, who had been left out of this will, convinced a judge to revoke Carlos’ control over the estate, per the outlet.

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Bennett and Green have pleaded not guilty, per the Miami Herald. It wasn’t immediately clear if the other defendants have entered pleas and PEOPLE was unable to reach their attorneys.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.